37 worker and employee owned media & publishing companies
investigative tech journalism
Worker-owned investigative tech and cybersecurity outlet founded 2023 by four journalists. Exposes hacking, privacy vulnerabilities, and digital exploitation. Reader-supported.
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video game journalism
Reader-funded worker-owned video game and internet culture site keeping the spirit of old-school independent games journalism alive. Founded by veteran games journalists.
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reproductive rights journalism
Worker-owned reproductive rights and justice publication.
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queer feminist bookstore
NYC Lower East Side queer feminist bookstore founded 1999, worker-owned since 2021. Online shop via Bookshop.org. Ships nationally.
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horror culture magazine
Worker-owned horror culture magazine. Criticism and commentary.
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sports & culture journalism
Worker-owned sports and culture site launched in 2020 by the former Deadspin staff who walked out together. Reader-supported, no outside investors, workers own 100%.
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cooperative newsletter / essays
Collaborative daily cooperative newsletter delivering unmediated essays, criticism, and art from over 65 creators. Each contributor owns an equal share.
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food co-op journalism
Worker-owned media cooperative based in Washington DC. News publication covering the food co-op sector. Subscription and donation supported.
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music journalism
Worker-owned music journalism platform built by veteran editors to critique and celebrate music without corporate oversight. Reader-supported.
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bookstore
Worker and consumer-owned co-op bookshop in Providence, RI. Online bookshop, audiobooks via Libro.fm, ebooks via Bookshop.org. Co-op memberships available.
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local news / NYC
Sharp, fiercely independent local news outlet covering New York City politics and neighborhood culture. Worker-owned, reader-supported, unapologetically NYC.
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bookstore
Worker-owned bookstore in Tucson, AZ. New and used books, games, and comics. Online shop via Bookshop.org and audiobooks via Libro.fm.
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local news
Worker-owned news cooperative in Long Beach CA. Founded April 2024 by journalists laid off after unionizing at the Long Beach Post. Reader and ad supported.
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podcast network
Pioneering listener-supported independent podcast network that converted to employee ownership in 2023. Home to My Brother, My Brother and Me; Judge John Hodgman; and dozens more.
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recording studio rental
Employee-owned recording studio in Los Angeles available for rent. Professional audio and video recording space operated by the team behind the Maximum Fun podcast network.
Ships: local (Los Angeles CA)
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streaming video subscription
Worker-owned cooperative streaming service. $7.99/month. Films, documentaries, scripted shows, daily news. Available on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV.
Ships: US / worldwide (digital)
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books / zines / patches / stickers / prints
Portland OR worker-ownership program since 1996. Publishers Weekly Fastest Growing Publisher 2022-2024. DIY, punk, social justice zines and books. Also sells patches, stickers, buttons, shirts. US-printed.
Ships: worldwide
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publisher / psychology / self-help
Majority employee-owned (ESOP) publisher since 1973. Oakland, CA. Psychology, mental health, and self-help books and workbooks.
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bookstore
Worker-owned bookstore and cafe in Astoria, Queens NYC. Currently between physical spaces but online shop active via Bookshop.org.
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bookstore
Worker cooperative bookstore in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood since 2020. Leftist politics, lit in translation, poetry, graphic novels, children's books, Spanish-language. Online via Bookshop.org.
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pop culture journalism
Worker-owned pop culture media company. Reader-funded, subscription model.
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local arts & culture / Minneapolis
Subscriber-backed alternative source for local arts, news, and food culture across the Minneapolis–St. Paul Twin Cities. Worker-owned, independent.
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books / print shop
Black-led, worker-owned, union print shop and publisher in Brooklyn, NY. Publishes titles from marginalized community voices. Online bookstore at radix.coop/shop.
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local news / Spokane
Worker-owned independent online news covering Spokane and the Inland Northwest.
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tabletop RPG & board game journalism
Reader-supported, worker-owned journalism outlet dedicated exclusively to covering the tabletop RPG and board game industry. The only co-op in the games press.
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general bookstore
Lawrence KS. Employee-owned since 2022. Known for How to Resist Amazon and Why author Danny Caine. Online ordering available.
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food journalism
Worker-owned food culture journalism. Reader-supported.
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radical bookstore
Worker-owned radical bookstore, cafe and community space in Baltimore MD since 2004. Online bookshop via Bookshop.org. Strong politics, history, social theory selection.
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gaming media / video essays
Worker-owned gaming media company. Video essays, podcasts, and livestreams about video games, movies and TV. Founded Nov 2023 after The Escapist walkout. Kansas City area.
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games media
Worker-owned games media. Reviews, features, and podcasts.
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cooperative magazine
Cooperative literary and intellectual magazine of new and unconventional thinking in politics, economics, and culture. Subscription memberships available. Founded 2020.
Ships: worldwide (digital)
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local news
Worker-led nonprofit newsroom covering Washington DC. Founded by former DCist/WAMU journalists. Contributed to a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation. Reader-supported.
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statewide news / journalism
Public-benefit, journalist-owned newsroom delivering rigorous investigative and statewide reporting across Colorado. Member-supported, founded 2018 by Denver Post journalists.
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feminist journalism
Worker-owned intersectional feminist journalism. Founded October 2024 by 10 co-owners. Reader-supported, no ads.
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bookstore / coffee shop
Worker-owned bookstore, coffee shop, and writers' studio in Kansas City, MO.
Ships: verify online availability
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books
Oldest and largest employee-owned book publisher in the US, wholly owned by employees since the early 1960s. Known for the Norton Anthologies and thousands of trade and academic titles.
Ships: US / worldwide
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music / movies / merch
Employee-owned record store chain. Phoenix, Tucson, and Las Vegas locations. Sells vinyl, CDs, cassettes, movies, books, and merch online.
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